A portable desktop allows a user to utilize the hardware of a host computer system and thus provides a portable computing environment. A portable desktop may be physically embodied in portable storage media and more often is embodied in a portable device which includes processing hardware, storage, and input/output (I/O) hardware for communication with the host system and/or authentication by a user. The portable computing environment, hereinafter referred to as the portable desktop, is portable in the sense that any changes made to data files, software, settings, user preferences, or any other configuration or aspect of that computing environment made during a session on the host computer system, which are intended to be permanent, are stored in the portable device such that the portable desktop has continuity across multiple sessions. The appearance, functionality, content and/or configuration of the portable desktop should also be independent of any changes made to any particular host computer system, as well as be independent of the particular host computer system used for any session. Portability, therefore, depends upon the ability of the portable desktop device to function with different host computer systems.
One type of portable desktop device is a USB memory device used to transport and store the portable desktop data. In a typical situation, the device is inserted into a host computer USB port from which it derives power. The host computer provides power to the device until the host computer is powered down or until the device is removed from the USB port thereof. From powering of the USB memory device, security features thereon are enabled. Once accessed, the device acts to support portable desktop functionality. Typically, this involves rebooting the host computer or powering it up from an unpowered state. Further typically, the portable desktop environment is discontinued when the host computer is powered down or when the USB memory device is removed from the USB port thereof.
A known security problem exists when a secure device is kept in a powered state once use of the device is completed. For example, if a USB hub were introduced between the host computer and USB devices coupled therewith, and the USB hub were powered, then a USB device would retain a power on state even when the hub was removed from the host computer. When this happens, it is often the case that some of the security of the USB memory device remains disabled as the device is already enabled for use; as such, the device is still accessible differently from what was intended.
It would be advantageous for there to be a method or system for supporting secure portable desktops that overcomes security and/or other limitations of known portable desktop approaches.